Darkening of the Soul
by justanoutlaw
Summary: "Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside of us while we live."


Maybe years ago, Maleficent would've looked forward to seeing the daughter of Stefan head down a dark path. But that was before she had gotten to know Aurora, before she had begun to…fall in love with her?

Love was for suckers, she should've told herself that. Yet, she found herself as Aurora's dark guardian angel of sorts. She followed her around, trying to make things better for her after Phillip Jr.'s passing. Aurora had let go of any of the light that she held in her heart. No one was heartbroken when she left Phillip Sr., everyone knew that marriage was doomed to fail. They both cheated on each other, they had only stayed together for their son. Now that he was gone, what was the point?

Phillip went to drown his sorrows in alcohol, Aurora drowned her own in darkness. She wreaked havoc on the tiny town of Storybrooke, from breaking into stores to causing it to rain for days. She enjoyed the magic that her parents had never told her about, the one that stemmed from her being a product of true love.

Maleficent couldn't let it continue further. It wasn't fair to the town, but more importantly, it wasn't fair to Aurora's soul. While she wasn't like the princess that Walt Disney had crafted her to be (no, she was far tougher than that), she still had a kind soul. This was the person who had befriended Mulan and Snow White, who had been one of the most loving mothers in the world. She deserved a happy ending and there was no way she would achieve it, if she kept up the way she was acting.

She made her way up the steps to the once cozy cottage that Aurora had lived in. Now, it resembled Gold's dark castle in the Enchanted Forest. It was huge, towering over most of the houses in the neighborhood. Any plant life out front had been destroyed and in its place were stone statues, meant to scare people away. Not bothering to knock, Maleficent pushed the door open and walked inside.

"Who dares to enter?" Aurora's deep voice called from the kitchen.

"Quit being so dramatic, Rory, it's just me."

Aurora made her way from the kitchen. Her once bright red hair was several shades darker and she wore a black dress so tight, it almost made her look like a mummy. "I told you not to call me that."

"And I told you, black is much more my color."

"What do you want?"

"I want you to quit these rain showers."

"It's nothing you wouldn't have done."

"And it's not who you are."

"How do you even know what I am?"

"Because I've known you a long time." Maleficent strode towards her, towering over the younger woman. "You are the person that brought light upon your kingdom when I threatened to destroy it."

"What is the point in bringing light, when all you get in return is darkness?"

"This isn't how your son would want you to act."

"He was a baby," Aurora sneered. "How would you know what he wanted?"

With a wave of a hand, Maleficent conjured up a picture into the other. It was one of the last ones taken of the mother and child. Phillip was smiling up at Aurora with such joy and she matched it. Aurora looked down at it, a lump gathering in her throat.

"That is the mother he left behind,' Maleficent whispered. "And that is the mother he would want to stay."

"I'm not a mother anymore."

"When I lost my Lily, I was still a mother."

"She came back to you."

"I didn't know if she could. I didn't know what would happen to her. I allowed the darkness to overtake me and I almost hurt innocent people, rather than focusing on my grief."

Tears welled up in Aurora's eyes and Maleficent placed a hand on her cool cheek, causing their eyes to meet.

"Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside of us while we live," she told her. "You can move on from losing your child. He will always be a part of you. Yet, if you lose who you truly are, if you allow the darkness to consume you…you may not be able to turn back. You need to stop now, Aurora, before it's too late."

Aurora pulled away from her and walked over to the couch. She dropped down and buried her head into her hands. Maleficent sat beside her, wrapping a tight arm around her. As the tears fell, Aurora felt her body grow lighter and things around the house began to change.

"Don't leave me," Aurora whispered.

"I'm not going anywhere," Maleficent whispered, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. "I promise."


End file.
